Delta, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1982. It stands in Warren Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52550. It stands on Coal Creek. The Survey maps it on the Delta quadrangle. 264 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 801 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresDelta fell from 328 to 264 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 328 | |
| 2020 | 264 | -64 (-20%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 7 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Delta quadrangle1:24000
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Oskaloosa quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
7 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Delta between 2009 and 2020, burning about 70 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | HWY 92 & 112TH AVE, IA |
| 12 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 210TH & ZEPHER AVE, IA |
| 6 March 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 25 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 March 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 12258 232ND ST., DELTA, IA |
| 29 February 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 December 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Delta: 7 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Clay, Bituminous. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What Cheer Clay Products Co. Pits | Clay, Bituminous | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Delta Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Knowler Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Kreise Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
18 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Delta in 18 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 8 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 4 tornado, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Flood | Delta | $570,000 | no account filed |
| October 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Delta | $75,000 | This EF1 tornado, with an estimated wind speed of 100 mph, touched down at 635 pm CDT 1.8 miles northeast of Delta, near Highway 92. The tornado moved northeast at 45 mph for a distance of 1 mile, and had a maximum width of 100 yards. A cattle barn and machine shed were destroyed. One house sustained moderate structural damage, while another house received minor damage. A 3-ton horse trailer was lofted and then rolled 200 feet. Numerous trees were snapped off, and there was damage to corn and soybean crops. No injuries or fatalities were reported. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | $6,000 | Tree damaged; antenna off roof |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Delta | - | An NWS survey team found damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado, just northwest of Delta, Iowa, in Keokuk County early Friday morning. The brief tornado had estimated winds around 110 mph, and caused significant damage to trees and outbuildings. There were no injuries. Thanks to Keokuk County emergency management for assistance in completing the survey. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Sheriff's office reports 2 to 3 trees down over roads in Delta. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Straight-line winds that produced damage were reported throughout Keokuk County, associated with a derecho. These winds lasted around an hour in total at any one location, even though the initial line of storms moved out quickly. Damaging straight-line winds continued and were associated with the rear inflow jet. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 60 to 80 MPH for much of the county. These estimates were determined based off damage reports. These strong winds and duration caused damage to trees, powerlines, and crops. This also resulted in long duration power outages. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Trees and power lines reported blown down. A machine shed was damaged and blown onto a road. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Large buildings damaged, along with trees and power lines blown down. |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Delta | - | A storm survey by the emergency manager found that an EF0 tornado occurred between Delta and Sigourney and moved northeast 6.3 miles before lifting. Damage to corn occurred along the path with winds estimated around 65 mph. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Delta | - | The North Skunk River near Sigourney, Iowa rose above the major flood stage of 21 feet during the mid morning of the 12th and fell back below major flood stage early in the evening of the 12th. The river crested at 21.1 feet around 230 PM on the 12th. |
| November 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Delta | - | A tornado developed near the Mahaska/Keokuk County line and tracked northeast through just northwest of What Cheer. It then continued on an intermittent track into Iowa County. Multiple structures were damaged or destroyed to include small barns, cattle sheds and outbuildings. Power poles and large trees were snapped. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with an estimated peak wind of 110 mph. The intermittent path length was 16 miles and a maximum path width of 50 yards. It continued northeast into Iowa County. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Delta | - | Non-severe hail (<1.0) fell near Sigourney, IA. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | A wind gust measuring 66 mph was recorded by the Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) located approximately 5.5 miles west of Sigourney, IA at 444 am July 21. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Several tree limbs downed. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delta | - | Numerous trees and power lines down. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Delta | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Delta | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Delta | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atwood (historical) | 4.0 miles | 7 | |
| What Cheer | 5.6 miles | 7 | |
| Hayesville | 5.9 miles | 7 | |
| Rosetta (historical) | 6.2 miles | 7 | |
| Sigourney | 6.7 miles | 7 | |
| Vulcan (historical) | 7.0 miles | 7 | |
| Jamestown | 7.5 miles | 7 | |
| Coal Creek | 8.6 miles | 7 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Delta | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1915199 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 455877. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





